2023 Hamas attack on Israel

2023 Hamas attack on Israel
A series of coordinated attacks, conducted by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, from the Gaza Strip onto bordering areas in Israel, commenced on Saturday 7 October 2023, a Sabbath day and date of several Jewish holidays. The attacks, referred to as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (or Deluge) by the United Nations, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups and Black Saturday and the Simchat Torah Massacre in Israel, initiated the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, nearly fifty years after the Yom Kippur War began on 6 October 1973.
The attacks began in the early morning with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 rockets against Israel and vehicle-transported incursions into its territory. Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, targeting civilians for killing in neighboring Israeli communities and attacking military bases. In a single day, more than 1,000 Israeli civilians and more than 350 Israeli soldiers and police were killed in nearby towns, kibbutzim, military bases and at a music festival near Re'im. Around 200 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip of which the number of kidnapped children is slightly under 30.
At least 44 nations, mostly Western, denounced the attack as terrorism, while Arab and Muslim countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Iran and Iraq have blamed Israel for the attack. The day was described by various media outlets and politicians, like US President Joe Biden, as the bloodiest in Israel's history and the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust.
Background
While there have been smaller conflicts, there were no other major engagements between Hamas and Israelis since the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. An anonymous source "close to Hamas" claimed that Hamas reduced military activity in a deliberate effort to deceive Israel into believing Hamas was not a threat. Mohammed Deif, commander of the attack, named the operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" in reference to the 2022 Al-Aqsa clashes, in which Israeli police raided the mosque following clashes between Palestinians and police.
Hamas militants prepared in at least six training camps across the Gaza Strip for two years before the attack. This involved conducting practice hostage takings, storming of mock Israeli settlements, and training with paragliders. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated that such training facilities were "nothing new" and that Israel had "struck many training areas over the years in the different rounds of escalation." Documents later found on killed Hamas militants revealed extensive study of communities and army bases near the Gaza-Israel border, and the intent to inflict as many civilian casualties, and capture as many hostages, as possible.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, in the weeks before the attack, 500 members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad attended combat training in Iran led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and attended by IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani. The Journal also reported that at a meeting in Beirut on 2 October, five days before the attack, Iranian security officials "gave the green light" for the attack. But US officials disagreed with the report, stating that its intelligence did not show a direct link between the attack and Iranian officials.
Gaza tunnels
The tunnel network, known as the "Gaza metro," serves Hamas for storage, movement, and command. Hamas used hardwired phone lines within the tunnels for covert communication over two years, evading Israeli intelligence. This allowed a successful surprise attack on Israel, with specific plans disclosed shortly before the operation, catching intelligence agencies off guard.
Israel has targeted tunnels used by Hamas in its campaign against the group in various locations, including Beit Hanoun, Gaza City, and Rafah, where they were used for smuggling. Cross-border tunnels have been used in high-profile operations. The construction of these tunnels was a significant, multi-year effort involving Palestinian workers.
Bedouin clans built early smuggling tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border in 1981. In 2001, Hamas began a vast underground network initially for smuggling, later serving multiple functions. The tunnels aimed to shift battles underground. In 2014, Hamas employed 900 for tunnel construction, each taking three months and costing an average of $100,000. Funding came from commercial schemes via Gaza's mosques, with contributions from Iran and North Korea.
Timeline
Rocket barrages and drone strikes
At around 6:30 a.m. Israel Summer Time (UTC+3) on Saturday 7 October 2023, Hamas announced the start of the operation, stating that it had fired over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a span of 20 minutes. Israeli sources reported that at least 3,000 projectiles had been launched from Gaza. At least five people were killed by the rocket attacks. Explosions were reported in areas surrounding the Strip and in cities in the Sharon Plain including Gedera, Herzliyya, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon. Air raid sirens were also activated in Beer Sheva, Jerusalem, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, and Palmachim Airbase. Hamas issued a call to arms, with senior military commander Mohammad Deif calling on "Muslims everywhere to launch an attack".
Palestinian militants also opened fire on Israeli boats off the Gaza Strip, while clashes broke out between Palestinians and the Israel Defense Forces in the eastern section of the Gaza perimeter fence. In the evening Hamas launched another barrage of about 150 rockets towards Israel, with explosions being reported in Yavne, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Beit Dagan, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Lezion.
Incursions into Southern Israel
Simultaneously, around 2,900 Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, pickup trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats and paragliders. Images and videos appeared to show heavily armed and masked militants dressed in black fatigues riding pickup trucks and opening fire in Sderot, killing dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers and setting homes on fire. Other videos appeared to show Israelis taken prisoner and a burning Israeli tank, as well as militants driving Israeli military vehicles. According to documents recovered from the bodies of killed militants, militants were instructed to attack civilian populations, including elementary schools and a youth center, to "kill as many people as possible", and to take hostages for use in future negotiations. Militants were prepared for different contingencies, such as killing all hostages, setting houses and other properties on fire, or using hostages as human shields. Some of the militants wore body cameras to record the acts, presumably for propaganda purposes. A note found on the body of one of the killed militants stated that "the enemy is a disease that has no cure, except beheading and removing the hearts and livers".
Initial reports
The morning of the attack, an Israeli military spokesman stated that the militants from Gaza had entered Israel through at least seven locations and invaded four small rural Israeli communities, the border city of Sderot, and two military bases from both land and sea. Israeli media reported that seven communities came under Hamas control, including Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Magen, Be'eri, and Sufa. The Erez Crossing was reported to have come under Hamas control, enabling the militants to enter Israel from Gaza. Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said that there were 21 active high-confrontation locations in southern Israel.
At 10:00 am, less than five hours after the attacks began, fighting was reported at Re'im military base, headquarters of the Gaza Division. It was later reported that Hamas took control of the base and had taken several Israeli soldiers captive before the IDF regained control later in the day. The base was reportedly the location of IDF drone and surveillance operations. Hamas reportedly posted video of dead Israeli soldiers it had killed at the base. The police station of Sderot was reported to have come under Hamas control, with militants killing 30 Israelis, including policemen and civilians.
Further attacks on October 7
Starting at 6.30 a.m. on the same morning, a massacre unfolded at an outdoor music festival near Re'im, resulting in at least 270 dead, and many others missing. Witnesses recounted militants on motorcycles opening fire on fleeing participants, who were already dispersing due to rocket fire that had wounded some attendees; some were also taken hostage. Militants killed civilians at Nir Oz, Be'eri, and Netiv HaAsara, where they took hostages and set fire to homes, as well as in kibbutzim around the Gaza Strip. 200 civilians were killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, 108 in the Be'eri massacre, and 15 people in the Netiv HaAsara massacre.
Nir Am was attacked but no residents were harmed. Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, the 25-year-old security coordinator, alongside her uncle Ami, led a guard detail that killed multiple militants attempting to infiltrate a nearby chicken farm. They successfully deterred the rest of the invading militants from entering the community.
Other Hamas militants carried out an amphibious landing in Zikim. Palestinian sources claim that the local Israeli army base was stormed. The IDF said it had killed two attackers on the beach and destroyed four vessels, including two rubber boats. A military base outside Nahal Oz was also taken by the militants, leaving at least two Israeli soldiers dead and at least six others captured.
Hostages taken
In Be'eri, up to 50 people were taken hostage; after an 18-hour stand-off between militants and IDF forces, they were freed. Hostages were also reported to have been taken in Ofakim, where policemen led by Chief Superintendent Jayar Davidov engaged Palestinian militants in a shootout;[when?] Davidov and three of his men were killed, and two Israeli hostages were later rescued by the IDF in the suburb of Urim. There were reports of militants killing or kidnapping family pets.
A number of hostages were taken back to Gaza. On 16 October, Hamas claimed it held 250 hostages. Hamas said it took prisoners to force Israel to release its Palestinian prisoners.
Participating and supporting organizations
In addition to Hamas, several Palestinian militant groups voiced their support for the operation. The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the secular-socialist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) confirmed their participation in the operation through their military spokesman Abu Khaled, saying it had lost three fighters in combat with the IDF. The PFLP, another Palestinian socialist militant group, and the Lions' Den group voiced their support for the operation and declared maximum alertness and general mobilization amongst their troops, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (armed wing of the PFLP) published videos of it storming Israeli watchtowers.
Casualties
At least 1,400 Israelis were killed, including 1,033 civilians, 299 soldiers and 58 police officers. The attack left over 3,400 wounded, and 200 soldiers and civilians taken hostage. On 19 October 2023, Israeli officials reported an additional 100 to 200 missing. Israeli casualties include about 70 Arab Israelis, predominantly from Negev Bedouin communities. On 7 October, over 100 civilians were killed in the Be'eri massacre, including women and children; and over 270 attendees were killed at a music festival in Re'im. As of 10 October, over 100 people had been reported killed in the Kfar Aza massacre, with the total death toll unknown. Nine people were fatally shot at a bus shelter in Sderot. At least four people were reported killed in Kuseife. At least 400 casualties were reported in Ashkelon, while 280 others were reported in Beer Sheva, 60 of which were in a serious condition. In the north, injuries from rocket attacks were reported in Tel Aviv.
Former Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. striker Lior Asulin was among those killed in the Re'im music festival massacre. The head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, Ofir Libstein, was killed in an exchange of fire with the militants. The police commander of Rahat, Jayar Davidov, was also killed. The IDF confirmed that 247 of its soldiers had been killed. Among their confirmed dead were Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal Brigade, who was killed near Kerem Shalom; Colonel Roi Levy, commander of the Multidimensional "Ghost" unit, who was killed near kibbutz Re'im; and Lieutenant Colonel Eli Ginsberg, commander of the LOTAR Counter-terrorism Unit School. The Druze deputy commander of the 300th "Baram" Regional Brigade, Lieutanant Colonel Alim Abdallah, was killed in action along with two other soldiers while responding to an infiltration from southern Lebanon on 9 October.
At least 233 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas and transported to the Gaza Strip. On 8 October, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to be holding at least 30 captives. At least four people were reportedly taken from Kfar Aza. Videos from Gaza appeared to show captured people, with Gazan residents cheering trucks carrying dead bodies. Four captives were later reported to have been killed in Be'eri, while Hamas claimed that an IDF airstrike on Gaza on 9 October killed four captives. Among those believed to have been abducted was Vivian Silver, a peace activist and former board member of the human rights organisation B'Tselem, who went missing following the attack on Be'eri. Yedioth Ahronoth photographer Roy Edan was reported missing and likely captured alongside his child in Kfar Aza. His wife was killed and two of their children were able to hide in a closet until rescued. Edan's body was identified ten days later as one of the casualties of the Kfar Aza massacre. On 11 October, Hamas's Qassam Brigades released a video appearing to show the release of three hostages, namely an adult woman and two children, in an open area near a fence. Israel dismissed the video as "theatrics".
Torture and mutilation
Israeli forces in Kfar Aza and Be'eri reported that they found bodies of victims mutilated. One IDF commander told a reporter from i24 News that 40 babies had been killed, out of what one estimate described as at least 100 civilian victims.
According to Yossi Landau, regional head of the ZAKA volunteer emergency response organization, tactics displayed were severe compared to past Hamas actions, with bodies showing signs of torture and extreme violence. At one kibbutz, first responders stated that of 280 bodies recovered, around 80% showed evidence of torture. Groups of children were allegedly found tied up and burned alive. At the music festival, there was said to be mass killing but less time for torture compared to the kibbutz. Approximately 70% of bodies were claimed to have been shot in the back. Graeme Wood reported that the video footage retrieved from body cameras worn by the attackers showed several victims who "in the beginning of the footage... are alive, [and] by the end they're dead. Sometimes, in fact frequently, after their death their bodies are still being desecrated." Other videos show attackers shooting at children, executing men in civilian clothing, throwing grenades into civilian shelters, and decapitations.
First response personnel recovering the bodies reported being extremely distressed by the sight of atrocities they witnessed. The remains of Hamas militants were also handled and collected respectfully, despite the psychological difficulty for the responders in doing so given their actions.
According to Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, hundreds of bodies arrived at the institute at a state that was "beyond recognition". Pathologists were required to process, among others, bone fragments recovered from fires; a blood-soaked baby mattress; victims who were tied, then executed; and two victims who were tied, then incinerated alive.
Israeli security agencies released videos that the Times of Israel described as "apparent interrogations" of Hamas attackers, in which the subjects said they were ordered to kill, behead, cut off limbs and rape. A former chief rabbi of the Israeli army, part of the team identifying bodies, said that there were many instances of rape and torture, and an Israeli reserve warrant officer said that forensic exams had shown multiple cases of rape. According to Reuters, the "military personnel overseeing the identification process didn't present any forensic evidence in the form of pictures or medical records."
Reactions
International
At least 44 nations, mostly Western, denounced Hamas and explicitly condemned its conduct as terrorism, including a joint statement by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. In contrast, Arab and Muslim countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Iran and Iraq have blamed Israel for the attack. The UAE, Bahrain, and China have all amended their initial declarations to expressly denounce the killing and abduction of Israeli civilians.
Israeli response
The attack, which coincided with Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, appeared to have been a complete surprise to the Israelis. The day is considered the bloodiest in Israel's history and the deadliest for Jews since The Holocaust.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted security assessments at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters in Tel Aviv. Gallant later approved the mobilisation of tens of thousands of army reservists and declared a state of emergency for areas within of the Gaza border. He also said that Hamas "made a grave mistake" in launching its attack and pledged that "Israel will win". The IDF declared a "state of readiness for war". It also said that the reservists were to be deployed not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and along the borders with Lebanon and Syria. Residents in areas around the Gaza Strip were asked to stay inside, while civilians in southern and central Israel were "required to stay next to shelters". Roads around the Gaza Strip were closed by the IDF. The streets of Tel Aviv were also locked down.
Following the assault, Israel declared a heightened state of preparedness for potential conflict. The IDF declared a state of readiness for war, and Netanyahu convened an emergency gathering of security authorities. The IDF additionally reported their initiation of targeted actions in the Gaza Strip under what it called Operation Swords of Iron (or Iron Swords) ( Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai announced that a "state of war" existed, following what he called "a massive attack from the Gaza Strip". He also announced the closure of the entire southern region of Israel to "civilian movement" as well as the deployment of the Yamam counterterrorism unit to the area. The IDF's chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said four divisions were deployed to the area, augmenting 31 preexisting battalions.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the country was facing "a very difficult moment", and offered strength and encouragement to the IDF, other security forces, rescue services, and residents who were under attack. In a televised broadcast, Netanyahu stated: "We are at war." He also said that the IDF would reinforce its border deployments to deter others from 'making the mistake of joining this war'. In a later address, he threatened to "turn Gaza into a deserted island", and urged its residents to "leave now".
While Ben Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport remained operational, multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel. Israel Railways suspended service throughout portions of the country and replaced some routes with temporary bus routes, while cruise ships removed ports such as Ashdod and Haifa from their itineraries.
On 7 October, Israel's Security Cabinet voted to undertake a series of actions to bring about the "destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad", according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office. The Israel Electric Corporation, which supplies up to 80% of the Gaza Strip's electricity, cut off power to the area. As a result, Gaza's power supply was reduced from 120 MW to only 20 MW, forcing it to rely on power plants paid for by the Palestinian Authority.
See also
History of Hamas
Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Notes
References
Al-Aqsa Flood
Child murder in Israel
Palestinian war crimes
Massacres of Jews
Massacres in 2023
Filmed killings in Asia
Wartime sexual violence
Articles containing video clips